The Rest is Up to You
by HelenL
Summary: Something happens to Abby, and it's up to the team to solve the case. What will happen when Abby remembers something, but none of the evidence seems to support what she says?
1. Chapter 1

The Rest is Up to You

Gibbs sat at his desk and began turning on computer monitors, printers and random other things he would need throughout the course of the day. Kate and Tony weren't there yet, but that was just fine with him. He wanted some time to himself and welcomed the abnormal break from their bantering. So often he had been incredibly tempted to spell it out for them and then lock them in a broom closet or something. But- at least so far- he had been good and had resisted the urge.

Gibbs noticed a figure wandering in the general direction of the bullpen, clad solely in black. He half grinned as he noticed his lab rat Abby. But something wasn't quite right. Actually, now that that he was actually paying attention, he suddenly noticed that several things were out of place. First of all, her hair- normally worn in two pigtails that reached to just barely past her shoulders- was hanging limp and loose and reached about four inches past her shoulders. He had noticed that it was getting longer, but it had been awhile since he had seen it down and was therefore pleasantly surprised. Abby's head was down; it appeared as though she was concentrating exceedingly hard on putting one foot in front of the other- or else she found her shoes, the floor or both incredibly fascinating. He belatedly noticed that she was also limping slightly, though she was doing her best to hide it. Had she been in a fight maybe? He arms were crossed in what he assumed to be a mixture of anger and defiance, though her hair was hiding her face, so he couldn't be quite sure.

"Hey Abbs," he called hesitantly as she walked slowly past his desk without as much as a wave, never mind a returned greeting.

He frowned and stood up, intending to find out exactly what was going on with Abby. He saw her standing awkwardly by the elevator, looking lonelier and much more vulnerable than usual. She was hugging herself loosely with one arm. The elevator doors opened and Gibbs lunged forward. He grabbed Abby by the arm and pulled her back out of the elevator. He felt her arm tense involuntarily under his touch.

Gibbs spun Abby around to face him and looked down at her. When he realized that she didn't even pretend t have the ghost of a smile and he saw her bruised and tear stained cheeks and swollen lips, what little anger he felt towards her immediately melted. Who in the hell had done this to Abby? When he found out, that bastard was worse than dead! Nobody hurt Abby and got away with it...

"Abbs, what's wrong? What happened to you?"

Gibbs could see the obvious debate behind her green eyes and he felt his heart reach out and beg her to let him in. God, who was behind all of this? Who was heartless enough to let or- even worse- make this happen?

"Gibbs, I can't- I- I- I- mean, I- I don't really want to talk about it..." she answered finally as she tugged self consciously on her sleeves. Something in his gut was telling Gibbs that there was more to it than the fact that she 'didn't want to talk about it'. Her voice was hoarse, which he assumed meant that she had been crying. But for how long?

"Okay Abbs, okay," he attempted to calm her as her bottom lip quivered slightly. "Could you at least tell me who made you cry?"

She looked up at him as though that was the last thing she wanted to do and the first thing that she should do. He mentally smacked himself upside the head. Obviously his question had upset her even more. "Hey, I'm sorry..." he apologized softly. "You don't have to tell me, but- if somebody made you cry- I really want you to tell someone." He tried his best to ignore the bruises covering every visible part of her body, at least for the time being.

"Gibbs, I don't even know that I could tell Ducky..." she admitted sheepishly as she reached up and began twirling several strands of hair around her fingers. Gibbs resisted the urge to pull her into his arms and tell her that everything would be okay.

He gave her a sympathetic half smile. "You could tell me you know..." He wanted her to confide in him, but he didn't want to cross any boundaries and scare her away.

"No, Gibbs, I can't tell you." He gave her an odd look. "See, if I tell you, then I'll have to tell Ducky. And if I tell Ducky, then I'd sure as hell better be prepared to tell Kate. And if I tell Kate, I won't get away without telling Tony..." She looked up at him reluctantly. "I have to tell someone though. So can I tell Kate? Like, only Kate? Because this is sort of a girl's thing and it's kind of embarrassing..."

"Abbs, you forget yourself. I've had three ex-wives, I know all about PMS and menopause and-"

"Gibbs!" she protested. Normally she would have at least been remotely amused, but right now the fact that Gibbs could talk about that sort of thing without even blushing wasn't exactly what she needed to hear. "Why in the hell would I let period stuff make me cry? God, if this was something as easy as early menopause, I'd be damn lucky and-" She sighed. Either way, she was eventually going to end up telling the entire team, so she might as well go ahead and get it over with, right? "Fine, you win. If you can the entire team and Ducky down to my lab in ten minutes or less, before I chicken out, then I'll tell all of you. And with that, Abby turned back to the elevator. Just before the doors closed, she turned to face Gibbs. "I've been a bad girl Gibbs, a very bad girl..." The doors closed, and Abby headed for her lab.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thanks for reading. I forgot to do all kinds of things in Chapter 1 of this. But they were pointless things that no one'll even read. Things like **I do not own the wonderful characters of NCIS, they belong to D.P.B. and CBS.** And also, I am posting this because several people have told me that they'll read it. I have the same policy for this story, even though it's complete (I'm in the process of typing it though). If you want me to post more, review. I have a set number in my head. When I get that number of reviews, I'll post. It'll be different for each chapter- depending on how much information is given etc. Hint, hint: Chapters 3-5 are definitely big ones! Thanks to all of my loyal readers! I love you guys. And Abbs- please don't ruin the plot, okay? You can go off on all of the 'poor Abby's that you want, and you can dangle bits and pieces, but please don't actually RUIN it, okay? I love you muchly!

Gibbs watched the elevator doors close with a sigh. He was worried; what the hell had happened to Abby? Whatever it was, he just couldn't bring himself to believe that she had done something- anything- to deserve any of this. He stalked moodily to his desk and pulled out his cell phone from his pocket. He pressed the speed dial button for Kate's cell and waited impatiently for her to pick up.

"Come on... Pick up, damn you!" he muttered anxiously under his breath.

"Hello?" came Kate's voice over the phone.

'Thank God!' he thought. Kate, where in the hell are you? I need you, DiNozzo and Ducky all down in Abby's lab in ten minutes. I swear Kate, if you're not down there, you can kiss your job good-bye. Something's upset Abby and I don't like it. So if you're at home-"

"Gibbs, I'm not at home, I'm right here; you don't have to yell you know!" Kate informed him from where she was standing at his back.

He suddenly realized that he had been holding a conversation with a dial tone. He slammed his phone shut and turned to glare at Kate. "Where in the hell is DiNozzo?" he barked irritably.

"Wow Gibbs... Did you skip on your morning coffee?" she joked. Then, spotting the severity in his electric blue eyes that Abby found so incredibly fascinating, she took a step backwards. "Tony's on his way in- traffic's horrendous! He called me to tell me that he had seen me driving past him on the freeway, so he should be here soon."

Gibbs sighed. "If he's not here..." he began testily.

"Then there's absolutely nothing you or I or anyone else can do about it," finished Kate.

Something ran into Kate's back. "What the-?" she cried, turning around. "Tony! Watch where you're going!"

"Sorry Kate, I- Uh-oh, what happened boss?" He had just caught glimpse of Gibbs' scowl and wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

"Abby," he replied shortly as he picked up his phone to call Ducky.

That didn't exactly fit right with Tony, as Abby was usually the one who Gibbs turned to when he was in a bad mood. He looked to Kate for an explanation while simultaneously listening to Gibbs' end of the conversation. Kate shrugged her shoulders helplessly.

"Ducky, we're needed in Abby's lab." A hint of an English accent was all that Tony could make out of Ducky's reply. "No, I have no idea what happened, that's why we're going to her lab Duck..." There was another pause. "Yeah, sure, I guess so, but I-" Gibbs sighed and there was an incredibly long pause. "Okay Ducky, we'll meet you there then."

Not knowing what to expect, Gibbs grabbed his gun from his drawer and then looked up at Kate and Tony, who hadn't moved since he had called Ducky. "Well, what in the hell are you two waiting for? Grab your guns and let's go!"

They exchanged looks with each other. Why did they need their guns? As Gibbs was already heading for the stairs, they decided not to question him and lunged for their desks, pulling out their guns as quickly as possible. Gibbs was already halfway down the first flight of stairs when the two junior agents caught up with him.

"How nice of you two to finally tag along..." he muttered sarcastically as he opened the door and stepped onto Abby's floor. He stalked towards Abby's lab and Kate and Tony exchanged worried glances before following their boss.

The three agents entered Abby's lab and were greeted by unnatural and unnerving silence. Gibbs spotted Abby slumped across her desk with her head resting on her arms. He put a finger to his lips and signaled for the other two to stay put.

He walked into her office and put a hand on her shoulder. She froze underneath his touch and he dropped to his knees at her side. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ducky, the only other person that Abby had requested the presence of, standing between Tony and Kate, trying his hardest not to look too worried.

"Abby... We're all here," whispered Gibbs softly as he gently rubbed her shoulder. He wasn't sure if it was having any affect- good or bad- on her, but it had seemed to help in the past.

Abby lifted her head slightly and sighed. "Bring them in..." she decided finally. "I guess it's now or never." Her head sank back down to her desk. "And right now, never sounds really good Gibbs... You're never going to trust me again!" Her unshed tears began to spill out onto her cheeks.

"Abbs, I promise that no matter what happened to you, I will always trust you and your word... Always," he promised as the other three filed in awkwardly. "Now, I know you don't really want to talk about it, but can you please fill us in on what's going on?"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Okay, I am really _really_ sorry that I haven't posted in forever. See, I had an emotional breakdown because of my mother about 2 or 3 weeks ago. Amazingly, I wasn;t really punished _too_ much. All she did was tell me I can't use the computer, and that was because all the things I was feeling (rejection, anger, hatred, pain, depression... Yeah, all of those horrible things...) I was also posting on the internet. Needless to say, she wasn't thrilled. So, naturally, I am sneaking on here whenever I can so that I can post for you guys. It may be awhile before the next post. I promise that I'm working on typing Chapter 4... Oh, and on True Colours? My mother burnt all of the things that I had left to type on it, so I have to start over from the last bit of posted stuff... Sorry!

Abby sighed as she lifted her head to look at Kate, Tony and Ducky. God, how lucky was she? First there was her best friend, Kate. Abby knew that Kate thought of her as more like the sister she never had. The feeling was mutual. Abby would do anything for Kate, even if it meant forfeiting her own life. And then there was Tony, her substitute younger brother. Ironically enough, Tony was actually older than her... Well, based on chronology anyways. As for Ducky, he was- for all practical purposes- the perfect daddy. Her biological dad- well, she didn't want to think about that. And then her stepfather had been abusive... among other things. Ducky had filled the gap- and so much more. Abby wasn't sure what would have happened to her if it hadn't been for Ducky. She suspected that it had been Ducky who had convinced Gibbs to hire her. Which brought her to her boss... Gibbs was probably the only member of the team that she didn't know exactly how she felt about. On the one hand, he was an amazing boss who also knew how to treat her like a person and a friend. Yet Abby couldn't help but feel like she wanted more. Until recently, she had only subconsciously liked him as anything other than a friend. But about a week ago- if even- she had figured out that she just might be feeling something more. She didn't dare to tell anyone, for fear of the rumour spreading and getting back to him. God, what would he think?

"Abbs...?" Gibbs looked worriedly at his lab rat and took away his hand. She looked deep in thought, but she still managed to remain virtually expressionless. God, how did she do that?

Abby forced herself to come back to earth. "Yeah, sorry... Um, what were we talking about?"

Kate and Tony exchanged nervous glances with Ducky. What in the hell was going on?

"Abbs," began Gibbs gently. "You were about to explain to us exactly what had happened."

"Oh... yeah... I was, wasn't I?" She was chickening out already, and if they would only let her stall for another five minutes or so, she would be able to get out of it.

But Gibbs could tell what was about to happen and quickly corrected it. "Abbs, you know we only want to help you. And we can't do that unless you tell us what happened in the first place..." She sat there, not moving and looking as though she was about to bolt. "Come on..." He decided that having his hand on her shoulder certainly wasn't hurting anything, and at any rate it would stop her from running away.

'Oh, what the hell!' thought Abby as she contemplated the worried expressions on her friends' faces. Maybe she could manipulate the situation a little and make it seem like it was just casual thing. "Well, I guess it's nothing really. I mean, it was just a one time thing and I swear it won't ever happen again, but I was-" Abby realized she was babbling and talking much faster than usual. She took a deep breath and started again. "Okay, so I was at a bar with a friend last night, but I didn't get drunk because I knew I had to work today. Anyways this friend needed-" Abby's cell phone rang and she quickly pulled it out of her pocket. Glancing quickly at the number on the screen, she knew that no one could overhear this conversation.

She stepped into a corner, away from the prying eyes of her co-workers and lowered her voice. "Hello?... Uh-huh... Yeah, okay I know..."

Gibbs could only hear Abby's end of the conversation, but he knew it was definitely not one she wanted to be having in front of all of them, which- naturally- only made him even more curious.

"God, I'm trying to tell them, okay?... Yeah, I know, but I can't while I'm on the damn phone!" Abby yelled the last part so loud that the rest of the lab technicians on the floor could probably hear her too. She slammed her phone shut, her eyes blazing.

"Abby, what was that all about?" Tony looked carefully at her. He had never heard Abby raise her voice to anyone- especially not at work.

She looked over at them as though only just realizing that she wasn't alone. "That? Oh... I was just- Um, I mean- Well, see I ordered some stuff off of the internet and it was supposed to come today and I only bought it because- Well, I mean, it'll be fun to mess around with, but I actually bought it to speed up my computer and help you guys solve the cases faster. It turns out that it won't be here for at least another two weeks... Maybe even more..."

Tony gave her a sceptical look. Nobody was really buying her cover story, but they were all too concerned to say anything.

Well, everyone but Gibbs, who seemed oblivious to the fact that Abby wasn't quite feeling up to telling them. "Okay, how about the truth Abbs?"

"Th-the truth? What do you mean the truth? I am telling the truth!"

Gibbs looked pointedly at her.

She glanced nervously at them all. Oh God, here it came- she was going to be fired... at best. "After we left the bar last night, I invited him home with me because he doesn't live here, but he's looking to move. At about ten thirty or eleven o'clock, I started feeling a little tired, so I went upstairs to put on my pyjamas." She paused to take a deep breath. "So apparently I left my bedroom door open while I was getting changed. Anyways, I was just about to throw on my shirt when he came in and..." Oh God, she was so _damn_ screwed... She cleared her throat and continued. "Well, I never quite got to finish putting on my pyjamas." Okay, well, her plan to make this into nothing hadn't quite worked, but hopefully nobody would criticize her.

The room was so quiet that you could have heard a pin drop. Of course, no one had a death-by-Gibbs wish, so no pins were dropped.

Finally, Ducky spoke up. "Abby my dear, just what are you trying to tell us?"

Gibbs sat silently, knowing what was coming... He also feared that he knew what had _really_ happened. God, poor Abby! And Ducky didn't get it? Gibbs looked carefully at his long-time friend. So, Ducky just wanted to hear Abby say it? What the hell was he thinking? Hadn't she suffered enough? Obviously this was tearing her to pieces inside.

"I- I don't- I mean, I-" She was annoyed at herself for stuttering. "Oh honestly! I had sex, okay?"


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I really would have liked more reviews on Chapter 3 before I posted this, but I'm going to assume that people read and just didn't review. Besides, there's no telling when Chapter 5 will be up. I'm really really sorry you guys. If all goes well, I'll post on Saturday... Or something. Anyways. Please review? It really makes my day... Anyways, CSI will be on in about 10 minutes, so I'd better go. ::grins:: I got to watch Meltdown last night! Yay! LMAO- Abby rocks my socks off!

Tony raised his eyebrows. "Abby? We live in America, in the twenty first century... It's okay!"

Abby shook her head. "No, it's not! I shouldn't have done it! It was stupid, I know... Maybe I _was_ drunk."

"Abbs, I understand where you're coming from, I do. But you have to understand that none of us think anything less of you. We love you Abbs, and I swear I will kill anyone who tells you otherwise." Gibbs paused, hoping no one had caught onto what he had. Or, if they had, that they would keep their mouths shut. "I'm not going to fire you, you know."

Abby looked up, startled. "How did you know that I thought that you were going to fire me?"

"Abbs, you've always been worried that I was going to fire you. It's kind of obvious..."

Kate looked sympathetically at her friend. "I think Gibbs is bluffing. At any rate, _I've_ never thought you were insecure about your job."

Gibbs knew Kate was lying to Abby, but it had made her seem a lot more relaxed, so he let it slide.

"So... What_ are_ you going to do to me if you're not going to fire me?"

"I'm not going to do anything to you Abbs. You're an adult who's quite capable of making her own decisions." Gibbs squeezed her shoulder gently.

"So you're just going to let me sleep with every guy I come in contact with then?" Abby wasn't sure how to act. Wasn't Gibbs supposed to punish her?

"Abbs, do you want me to punish you?"

"No, but I just thought that it was your duty- as my boss- to discipline me when necessary."

"It is, but as far as I can tell, you haven't done anything wrong."

"Gibbs is right Abby. And besides, even though he'll probably never admit it, he'll never fire any of you. Despite what you may think, he'll always picture himself as your friend first and your boss last. Won't you Jethro?" Ducky knew Gibbs better than anyone else, so he knew to avoid the ex-Marine's gaze as he spoke.

Gibbs held Abby's gaze, alerting her- in his own subtle way- that he meant this specifically for her. "Of course I do Duck... Whatever gave you the impression that I didn't?"

"Abby, I don't want to sound cold, but why exactly do you feel so guilty about this? I mean, you have to know that sex isn't wrong..." Kate felt incredibly guilty about confronting her best friend with such an odd question, but her curiosity- once again- got the best of her.

Abby mumbled something incoherent under her breath.

"What?" Not even Gibbs, who was kneeling right next to her, could tell what she said.

"I said, 'Because of Rule Number twelve...'" Abby looked guiltily from Gibbs to Kate.

"Rule Number Twelve? Is that what this is all about? Abby, you can't seriously believe that he'd fire you for sleeping with a co-worker," Tony chastised.

Kate however thought otherwise. After all, hadn't Gibbs warned her before she had even officially started working for him that he expected things to be different here? He sure as hell hadn't looked like he was kidding.

"And this is why I told myself that I should give them the rules in order... I guess I'll never learn," muttered Gibbs to himself. "Abbs, I don't suppose I've ever told you Rule Number one, have I?"

"Well, no..." Abby shook her head slightly. Of course, technically, Gibbs had only ever told her Rule Number seven- she had heard about Rule Number twelve from Kate when they had been discussing-

Gibbs looked guiltily at Ducky; he had been told that he should at least tell Abby about Rule Number one. This was what happened when he didn't listen to people. "Abbs, Rule Number one is 'Never be afraid to break the rules...'." He looked thoughtfully at her. "After all, you never know what you might be missing out on." He paused, knowing she was going to hate him for asking her this. "Abbs, who was it?"

Abby bit her lip and didn't reply. She couldn't tell them who she had- No, bad Abby- don't think about it!

"Abbs...?"

"No, Gibbs, I can't!"

"Fine, I already know who it was; you don't have to tell me. I think that they'd like to know though." Gibbs knew that he had switched from the worried and caring boss that he had intended to be and had switched into ruthless interrogator mode. He turned to leave.

"No, Gibbs, wait! I- I'll tell you..." She mumbled something unintelligible.

"Abby..." Gibbs subtly switched from her pet name to what everyone called her. Everyone in the room- except for Gibbs and Abby, apparently- noticed the change and knew Gibbs was getting fed up.

But Abby _did _notice and immediately felt guilty. After all they'd been through together, the team deserved to at least know _who_ it was... She took a deep breath. "I- It was McGee..." she whispered.

Gibbs nodded grimly. "Yeah, I thought so..." He stood up quickly and turned to leave Abby's lab.

"No, Gibbs!" She stood up quickly and looked to Ducky, Kate and Tony. "Um, I've got to go... Catch you guys later!" she half-explained.

The three of them watched her dash into the hallway and into the direction that Gibbs had gone.

"Well, somebody's hiding something..." Tony looked to Kate for a confirmation.

"What the hell do you mean Tony? It's not like this is another random suspect off of the street. This is _Abby_. You know- our friend? She didn't do anything wrong!" Kate glared at him, refusing to believe that her best friend had done anything except tell the truth.

"Caitlyn, no one's saying that Abby did anything wrong. Anthony was merely commenting on the fact that we didn't get the whole story. And we didn't... But poor Abby doesn't realize this... yet."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Gosh, I am really sorry youguys. I tried to post more on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, but it was telling me that I couldn't upload because of a server virus. So then I tried on Thursday and Friday to log on, but the server was 'busy'. So I thought that maybe my parents had blocked the site or something (which didn't make too much sense, because I could still read stories and stuff, but I couldn't log on) so, naturally, I hacked down all 4 firewalls (they're a bit overprotective of the computer...) only to discover today that I didn't have to. hope I can now find and re-enable the firewalls. Whoops. I guess there's a reason I want Abby's job... Anyways, I just wanted to appologize to all of you. I'm almost done typing Chapter 6, so I shouold post it by... tomorrow? Maybe, or else Tuesday. Unless I somehow destroy the computer before then... It could happen!

"Gibbs, wait for me!" Abby called down the hallway. She turned around the corner and ran right into him. He held her body tightly against his own and she began to squirm in his arms. "Gibbs, let me go!"

"Do you promise me that you're not going to run away Abbs?"

She tried to duck back out of his arms and once again failed. She made an attempt to ignore the fact that all she really wanted was for someone to hold her, though she wasn't quite sure why exactly. Probably just to reassure herself that she was indeed loved by someone. "Shouldn't I be asking you that question? You're the one who ran away from me, remember?"

He let go of her reluctantly. Apparently holding her wasn't the way to comfort her right now. That was fine; he would do whatever was necessary. "Okay, so if I was so horrible, why did you come after me?" he asked reasonably.

Why had she come after him? She blurted the first thing that came into her head. "Don't kill McGee!" Where on earth had that come from? Surely Gibbs wouldn't kill a member of his own team, would he?

"Abby, as far as I'm aware, McGee's not even here… However, if he dares to come back anytime soon, first he's fired, and then I'm going to strangle him-literally." He saw the unasked question in her eyes and answered it. "As far as I'm concerned, McGee is no longer one of my 'team.'" Gibbs never once lost his serious demeanor.

"Gibbs, he didn't do anything wrong! Did you not listen to me? _I _took advantage of _him_… If you're going to kill somebody, then it sure as hell had better be me!" She glared angrily at him.

Gibbs looked at her sympathetically. He hadn't wanted it to have to come to this, but before he even really thought about what he was doing, he had said it. "He raped you, didn't he?" He could scarcely believe that he had actually asked her that. What was he? Some kind of sick psychopath? God, he hoped not.

Abby looked at him incredulously. "What the-? No!" Why in the hell would McGee rape her? Had Gibbs gone completely mental?

"Please don't protect him Abbs…"

"Protect him? There's nothing to protect him from! Listen to me: McGee. Did. Not. Rape. Me. Do you get it now?"

"So then how did you get your bruises? Did you just randomly wake up and decide to punch yourself in the face?" He caught a glimpse of her wrists, which were also quite purple. "And what about your wrists? It's virtually impossible to bruise your own wrists, as you know all too well. And do I really need to mention the fact that you're limping, which is also quite hard to inflict upon yourself?"

"Gibbs, I'm not in your head, so I don't know exactly what you're thinking, but I do know that I was not raped. McGee did not rape me. God, what are you so mad at him for?"

Gibbs studied her carefully. Clearly Abby really did believe that McGee had done nothing wrong. But how else could those bruises have appeared, quite literally, overnight? He hadn't been lying when he told her that it was hard to bruise yourself. He knew all too well. After all, hadn't he tried to tell Ducky that he had literally beaten himself up when it had really been his third wife after he had told her that they should get a divorce? He had been lectured not only on self inflicted bruises, but also on lying to friends. Needless to say, that had never happened again.

"You can't even admit it to yourself, can you? My God Abbs, can't you see that this is the exact reaction he wanted from you? He wants you to be upset; he wants you to think that this is entirely your fault; he wants you to stand in front of me and defend him and his motives! I refuse to let him do this to you, damn it! He's a sick freak who finds some sort of perverse pleasure in torturing you and allowing you to blame yourself." McGee was definitely going to regret this the next time that he came into contact with a certain Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

"Gibbs, he loves me! He told me that he loved me!" she yelled, trembling ever so slightly.

'Oh my God, please no… Not this,' he thought frantically. He didn't want to tell her; he knew he was about to break her heart into a billion tiny pieces. "No Abby, he doesn't love you. All he wants is to get inside of your pants. And somewhere, deep down inside of you, you know that." He wiped away the tears that were slowly trickling down her cheeks, feeling guilty for causing them, even though what he had told her was true. "That isn't love Abbs…"

He pulled her into his arms and started stroking her hair softly. She buried her head in his shoulder, wanting him to take back his words. Gibbs settled his gently on top of hers. "This, Abbs, is love," he whispered.

She looked up at him with a startled expression, not quite sure that she had heard him correctly. Had Gibbs really just told her that he loved her?

He smiled sadly, knowing that he could never admit that he loved her so much; more than life itself, and he would do anything for her. "I love you; Kate loves you; Ducky loves you; even Tony loves you… Do you know why?"

She had known that he could mean that he actually loved her. Abby shook her head slowly. Just what was Gibbs getting at?

"It's because we're like a family. We care about you Abbs, more than you'll ever know. We hate seeing you like this. We hate the fact that the one who did this to you was once a member of this 'family'. And if McGee really loved you, he would be the one who was standing here comforting you, instead of me." Gibbs let her go and sighed. "Until you face the reality of what really happened, nobody except Ducky can help you."

Abby frowned thoughtfully. "Okay, I give up. Unless you're planning on killing me, I don't really see how Ducky could help me. So help me out a little bit; tell me how Ducky can help me."

Gibbs didn't answer as he gently but forcefully took her hand in his and pulled her towards the elevator and into it with him.

"Gibbs, what in the hell is going on? Where are you taking me? I should be in my lab, doing something useful; you know- something work related?" she reminded him as she tried to jerk her hand free of his grip. She finally gave up when she realized that he had no intentions of letting her go. "Okay, so can you at least inform as to where we're going?"

He sighed. "_We_ aren't going anywhere. Or in any case, I'm not staying. I _am_, however, taking you to Ducky so that he can- ah- assess the damages, as the case may be."

She glared at him. "You set me up for this, didn't you? All of it- the hug and the sympathy and the- that accusation; it was all a ploy to get me down to Ducky, wasn't it? I don't want him poking and prodding me, just so that you can prove yourself wrong. I can do that just fine on my own, thank you!"

Gibbs was startled; Abby never yelled at anyone. Funnily enough, he wasn't in the least bit angry with her. Any other person would've been yelled back at, if they were lucky. Oh well, that was the advantage of being Abby, he supposed. "I hate to break it to you, but I'm not really giving you much of a choice in the matter. But as long as you're more or less okay, you can go back to your lab. If you're not, I'm taking you straight home, fair enough?"

Abby stuck her tongue out at him then turned her back to him the rest of the way down. Of course, he could still see her and she could still see him due to the mirrored walls in the elevator, but that didn't make her any less satisfied.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Okay, I really wanted more reviews after chapter 5, simply because I thought that it was one of the best ones. I'm posting this only because I feel like I've sort of neglected you all in posting and I feel bad about it. Please review more... Even though the next few chapters (up 'til about Chapter 11 or 12, really) are kind of sluggish. Sorry... They had to be written in order for it to make sense... Oh- and to all of you who were shocked by Gibbs's reaction, please remember, it was only his _opinion_... You don't know if he's right or not. Who do you trust? Abby the unbiased scientist, or Gibbs and his infamous gut? Then again... maybe Gibbs _was_ right...?

"Ducky, could you tell Gibbs to leave me alone please?" begged Abby as she half walked and half stormed into autopsy with Gibbs following closely on her tail.

"Ducky, tell Abby that I'm not even going to think about leaving her alone until I'm sure that she's okay," retorted Gibbs. He had already decided to let Abby have the benefit of the doubt and therefore was not going to mention his deductions on what had actually happened to her.

Ducky shook his head. "Abby, tell Jethro yourself; Jethro, tell Abby yourself. You're civilized adults, not mindless teenagers."

"Well, actually Ducky, that's debatable because-"

"Abby, you know Gibbs is only doing this because he cares, though even I have to admit that he's got a funny way of showing it." Ducky gave Gibbs a pointed look. "Jethro, leave poor Abby to me… I promise you that the second I get the results, I'll call you, okay?"

"Sorry Duck, no can do. The art of compromise won't work this time," Gibbs decided firmly.

Ducky studied him for several minutes before finally answering. "Very well Jethro, provided that Abby gives her consent, of course." He looked to Abby for her permission.

"Do I really have a choice in the matter?" she asked good naturedly, even though she was only half-kidding.

"No," replied Gibbs.

"Of course you do!" Ducky assured her at the same time.

Abby giggled in spite of her self and then sighed when she realized that she really did have to make a decision. There was no point in arguing with Gibbs when he was in one of his moods such as he was now… Bad things would happen if she made an attempt, she was sure. "Fine, he can stay…" She grinned. "As long as he behaves himself, of course," she teased.

"In other words, play nicely Jethro…"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it you two, thanks," retorted Gibbs, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

Ducky chose to ignore his friend and turned to Abby, who was feeling bad for ignoring her boss. "Alright my dear, hop up," he ordered, indicating the cold metal table. "Perhaps if you're a good girl, we can arrange a lollipop or some other treat, okay?"

Abby grinned and lifted herself onto Ducky's autopsy table.

"She's going to freeze up there Ducky!" objected Gibbs. He had slept on that same table countless times in the past, and it was always unbearably cold. Until you got used to it, of course, but he didn't want her to be cold at all.

"And what exactly do you propose that we do about that Jethro?"

Gibbs hadn't thought about that. All he knew was that he wasn't about to let Abby lie on an enlarged, cold metal dissecting tray. He searched the autopsy suite with his eyes and came up with absolutely nothing. He looked down at himself and shrugged. Oh well, when he had said that he would do anything for Abby, he hadn't been kidding. "Here," he replied, handing Ducky his black overcoat.

Abby looked at him sternly. "No way! Gibbs, I can't take your jacket; now you're going to freeze!" She swung her legs nervously.

"Yeah? Well, better me than you."

"Ducky! Please tell Gibbs to put his jacket thingy back on!" demanded Abby stubbornly. Maybe she couldn't make Gibbs do what she wanted, but she knew that Ducky could, if he was so inclined.

"Abby, you know I can't make him do something he doesn't want to do; especially not if I agree with him. You know how stubborn he is," Ducky reminded her. "Now, shell we continue? Or, rather, shall we begin?"

Abby nodded, still swinging her legs back and forth.

"Very well, I'll be right back, okay?"

She nodded again, lost in her own little world inside of her head where her thoughts were swimming in and out of her view. Mental note to Abby: Clean out your head!

Ducky returned soon after pressing numerous buttons and flipping several switches.

"Hey Ducky, who's going to play the part of the nurse?" she asked as the whirs of machinery coming to life filled the room.

He came back to her and there was suddenly a light or something that looked suspiciously like the ones that the dentist used. If Abby hadn't been so jumpy and slightly worried, she almost definitely would've asked what it was. But, naturally, she was too distracted.

"To answer your question my dear, I was going to play the part of the doctor and the nurse… But I suppose if you really want a nurse, we could make an attempt to get Gibbs to do it for us." Ducky shrugged. "But if he needs persuading, I think I'd better let you handle that one."

Abby grinned. "Fair enough… Please be the nurse Gibbs?"

Gibbs looked at her puppy dog face with the obviously fake trembling of her bottom lip. Still, she looked so sweet and endearing. He chuckled. "Wow, do I actually get to make a decision down here? In which case, I'd better not take advantage of the situation or abuse my privileges. So yes, I agree to be the nurse."

Abby bit her lip. "Well, the term 'nurse' sounds a bit too feminine, especially for you, so how about we use the term 'assistant' instead?"

"Good point," admitted Gibbs. He didn't even want to think about Kate or Tony's reaction to him being a 'nurse'.

"Well my dear, as I tend to work mainly with the dead as opposed to the living, I don't exactly have the necessary things to take your blood pressure with, nor do I have a stethoscope. So we'll have to skip your breathing and blood pressure, and all of that for now. And I know how much you hate being poked and prodded, so we'll skip straight to the X-rays, alright?"

She shrugged casually. "Hey, this is your area of expertise. Besides, I trust you Ducky…"

Ducky looked away, not wanting her to see how such a casual comment affected him. God, he loved her so much. Not in a sick, perverted way, but just as a father looking out for his little girl. He was going to kill McGee…


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Okay, I'm really pleased with all of you guys for putting up with me. I just have one tiny complaint, and that's against one reviewer, **p-angelgmx.de**. And it's really not a complaint, I just wish that you would have given me a chance (by reading more of the fic) before chewing me out like that. I am currently composing an email to you explaining my reasoning behind Abby's reaction to the whole situation. You seem like a very analytical person, and I'm glad you pointed that stuff out, but I wish you could've waited a bit, because almost everything you objected to is explained later. So I'm probably ruining the fic for you by explaining it, but oh well. On a happier note to you, I also want to thank you for giving your honest opinion...  
By the way- I know this will be pretty boring/wordy/pointless for the next few chapters. I'll try to post them quickly so that you can get to the good bits... I'm warning you now- this is not over, and it's sure to get ugly...

"Jethro, turn around," ordered Ducky as he spread Gibbs' jacket over the cold metal surface behind Abby.

"Why Ducky?" asked Gibbs with a frown. He had not decided to humiliate himself and be a nurse only to be told he couldn't watch over her. And how was he supposed to watch over her if he couldn't even see her?

"Jethro, please just do as you're told. It's a part of being a n- an assistant," covered Ducky quickly.

Gibbs groaned inwardly, but did as he was told and turned around anyways. He had been set up at his own set up! Was that even possible? Well, when it involved Abby and Ducky- especially when it was the two of them together- anything was possible. He crossed his arms and began tapping his foot impatiently.

"Abigail my dear, could you- uh…" Ducky wasn't quite sure of how to ask his question. After all, Abby was incredibly self conscious, and she was sure to be more so after last night. Still, they couldn't proceed until it was done.

Abby noticed Ducky's discomfort and felt guilty for all of the grievances that she had caused and was sure to cause in the future. "Could I what Ducky?"

"Well, it's just that… I need you to remove your shirt please," he managed finally.

"Okay, sure, but why does Gibbs-? Oh! Oh, okay, I get it… Never mind…" she babbled sheepishly as she slid her shirt off of her body and let it fall to the floor. "Now what?"

Ducky couldn't help but stare at the bruises all along her now exposed arms; her shoulders, chest and abdomen had also suffered extensive purple marks. Even if he hadn't been before, McGee was now in the worst possible spot. He had a pathologist mad at him, as well as a team of investigators. "Um, could you lie down please," murmured Ducky softly.

Abby did as she was told and Ducky moved his light over Abby's head. "You may turn around now Jethro…" Ducky called over his shoulder as he finished preparing Abby for her quick yet enlightening X-ray.

Abby's upper body was left uncovered and bathed in light when Gibbs turned around. He gasped involuntarily as he saw that more of her body was a shade of blue, grey, green or purple as opposed to the normal, pale tone of her skin. Well, with any luck the bruises alone would be enough for Ducky to make her go home.

Ducky moved back and stood next to Gibbs behind the control screen. "Alright my dear, hold still, okay? And try not to say anything."

"Duck, I'm taking her home the second that we're done in here, whether she likes it or not, okay? And I'm not going to come back in either," Gibbs alerted his friend in a whisper. He looked at her lying vulnerably on the autopsy table. "I think I may take her to the doctor, or at least to a doctor."

"Jethro, you are not to take her to the hospital, or even to the doctor's for that matter, as she hates them both. Take her home and stay with her. Don't leave her house, and don't let anyone in. There's more to the story than we've been told," Ducky whispered back, taking extra care to make sure that Abby couldn't overhear them.

"I know Ducky, but she thinks that that's what happened to her. But you just don't get these kinds of bruises from plain old sex," murmured Gibbs, still watching her closely. She was getting restless, he could tell. If it hadn't been such an awkward situation- to say the least- he probably would have more than slightly amused at her subtle attempts to entertain herself.

"Let me assure you that I know it Jethro. I'm all too aware of what really happened to her, though it appears as though you picked up on it before I did. All I can say is that you had better get McGee on that table as quickly as possible."

The machine stopped moving and automatically shut itself off. Ducky looked up casually. "Alright my girl, now comes the hard part- the thirty minutes to an hour of waiting. I suggest that we make Gibbs take you out for some sort of a treat," suggested Ducky, knowing that simply spending time with Gibbs was a treat for Abby; just as spending time with Abby was a treat for Gibbs. "What do the two of you say to Gibbs buying ice cream?" asked Ducky as he began the tedious job of packing away his fancy machine.

Gibbs and Abby unintentionally ignored him.It wasn't like they didn't love Ducky to pieces, it was simply that they were a bit more preoccupied with each other. Gibbs reached down and picked up Abby's shirt. He handed it awkwardly to her, though not without storing the mental image of the impressive amount of bruising from close up. Oblivious to Gibbs' thoughts about her, Abby jumped off of the autopsy table with a grin and took her shirt from him, hastily tossing it back over her head.

She pulled his coat off with her and handed it to him. "Here," she handed it to him awkwardly. God, did they have some sort of fascination with embarrassing each other? "Um... thanks," she whispered.

He chuckled half-heartedly. "Anytime Abbs..." He pulled his coat back on and grinned at her.

"Hey, Ducky... If I'm taking me and Abby for ice cream, does that mean I should bring something back for you or what?" asked Gibbs. He already knew what he was ordering, of course. It had been so long since he had eaten ice cream and he was going to use this to his advantage. He had every intention of indulging in a double- if not triple- scoop peanut butter and fudge swirl cone.

"Please don't even bother Jethro... I should think that it would melt before you even left to come back here." Ducky grinned at the reactions of his two friends- complete and utter confusion.So innocent...Naturally, they had no idea what he was getting at, though Gibbs was sure to at least have a vague idea. "Might I suggest tha the two of you leave now? I believe that dear Abigail is sure to be getting impatient..." Ducky grinned; now that his back was to them, he didn't have to conceal his devious grin.

Taking that as a hint, Gibbs lead Abby gently to his car and drove to his favourite ice cream parlour of all time...


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Okay, well, I haven't really felt too much like typing up and posting this chapter, but I did it anyways, just for you guys. So yay- lucky you! I'm sure that Abby and Gibbs are going to seem out of character, because Gibbs is going to be nice and apparently he's not supposed to care. And then there's Abby, who apparently isn't supposed to be jumpy... Bitter? Who's bitter? ::yawn:: Okay, back to bed, I'm tired.

Gibbs jumped out of his car as Abby fumbled with her seat belt. He opened her door and then reached across her lap to unbuckle it for her. "Come on Abbs, out you get…" When she didn't move, Gibbs lifted her gently out of his car and set her carefully on her feet.

This was enough to bring Abby back to earth. "Huh? Oh… Um, thanks."

Gibbs shrugged. "It's just ice cream Abbs," he reminded her.

She rolled her eyes. Guys could be so oblivious… But she already knew that, as she still had her job. "Yeah… Right, ice cream."

'Great,' she thought sarcastically, 'Here comes grill-Abby number… whatever.'

Still, Gibbs was being polite; she had to give him that, as he held the door to the ice cream parlour open for her. She walked into it and immediately felt a chill run down her spine. Silly her, she had thought that because it was almost summer, she wouldn't need a jacket. But then again, she was with Gibbs. And Rule Number who-knew-what was 'Always be prepared.' Which, judging by Gibbs and his appearance, obviously meant always wear a jacket.

"Well, duh Abby, they sell ice cream here- it's going to be cold, if not damn freezing." She rolled her eyes at her random outburst. Sometimes she wished she could learn to keep her mouth shut.

Gibbs looked concerned. "Are you cold Abbs?"

Abby didn't want him to turn into an overprotective father or anything. She managed a 'warm' looking smile. "Only a little bit, but I won't be in a minute. It's just the temperature difference- you know- between the warm summer's day and the air-conditioning of an ice cream parlour… That's all."

As she told him this, Gibbs was apparently not listening to her because instead he was peeling off his jacket for the second time that day. He wrapped it around her arms with a smile that told her he was quite proud of himself and she wondered why. Deciding she didn't really care- though it was a lie- Abby snuggled into her new found warmth. Naturally, the jacket was rather big for her, but it was cosy, so she hardly noticed. And there was, of course, the fact that it smelled good.

Gibbs chuckled softly. "Better?"

She cocked her head. "Yeah, much…" She grinned at him. "Thanks!"

He put an arm on her shoulders. "You know I'd do anything for you Abbs."

His arm was making her slightly uncomfortable, so she looked away shyly. Gibbs noticed her sudden change in attitude and realized why. After their little conversation in the hallway, he should have known better. Stupid, stupid, _stupid_! His arm immediately slid off of her shoulders.

Abby was now chatting with the woman behind the counter. She was cute, he supposed. A petite redhead, in her early to mid thirties with long and slightly curly hair. When had girls like that stopped being his type? A couple of years ago, he would have been almost as bad as DiNozzo, but now… What was wrong with him?

He noticed how close behind Abby he was standing; it probably looked like he was being incredibly possessive. Why didn't that bother him? He was tempted to move the tiniest bit closer, but he knew that if he did Abby would get a little uncomfortable again.

"Gibbs? Hey, earth to the Bossman." Abby turned and waved her hand in front of his face. "Come on, snap out of it!"

Acting as though he had been with them the whole time, Gibbs raised an eyebrow at her. "Abby, get your hand out of my face please."

She shrugged. "It wouldn't be in your face if you were actually listening to us. Order your ice cream, Mr. Macho Ex-Marine man…"

Ah, so _that_ was what she wanted… Still, he couldn't let a remark like that go without some kind of a comment and this was too perfect of an opportunity. "Once a Marine, always a Marine, Abbs." He turned to the lady behind the counter and noticed the way she was looking at him. Great… More redheads; that was the last thing he needed. "I'll have a peanut butter and fudge swirl double cone."

The woman grinned at him. "Sure thing…" She disappeared to some hidden back room to get their ice creams.

Abby grinned at Gibbs. "She likes you, you know."

Gibbs pulled a face and didn't offer her an answer.

"Aw, come on, she's not that bad!"

"I know- she's just not my type…"

Abby frowned. "Redhead, female, about your age, sexy… And now that's suddenly not your type anymore? Honestly, the next thing I know you'll be taking Kate out for dinner or something."

"Nah, not Kate…"

As Abby was pondering his reply, Adrianne- the ice cream lady- came out with two identical ice cream cones. She handed one to each of them and grinned as Gibbs handed her the money for their ice creams.

As they walked to a table, Abby attacked her double peanut butter and fudge swirl cone with her tongue. Gibbs looked at her incredulously.

"What, haven't you ever seen a girl eat ice cream before?" she teased as she caught his gaze.

"Honestly? No, not like that. Girls don't often order ice cream; especially not double peanut butter and fudge swirl cones," he answered as they sat at an empty table that was far enough away from the counter that they wouldn't be bothered by the redhead. "It's loaded with sugar and fat and all of that other delicious anti-girl stuff."

"Exactly, and it's peanut butter with chocolate! What's not to love?"

"You never cease to amaze me Abbs," Gibbs admitted as he licked his own ice cream.

"Well, maybe you should just expect nothing. Then, when nothing comes, you're not disappointed, but on the off chance that something does come, you're always pleasantly surprised." Abby suddenly realized that she wasn't talking about ice cream anymore and shut her mouth before she said something to give herself away…

"Abbs, I'm sorry," he began, realizing that he needed to at least apologize for making her upset earlier.

'And here we go again with the apologies,' Abby thought. Only Gibbs didn't have anything to apologize for. "Wait- what the hell are _you_ sorry for Gibbs?"

He sighed and lowered his voice. "I'm not very good at this, so bear with me, okay? I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry that I made you mad and defensive. I'm sorry for tricking you. But most of all, I'm sorry for making you cry and being so…"

"Accusatory towards McGee? Manipulative? Over-reactive? Stubborn?" she finished bitterly. "Oh God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to sound so mad, I just- Oh, I don't know…"

"Hey, Abbs, you have every right to yell at me and be mad. I was an asshole; a bastard. I'm not going to change my opinion, but I'm not going to inflict it on you anymore, fair enough?"

"Well, it's a bit late for that, but it was a nice apology, so you're forgiven… Now can we change the subject please? Let's talk about…" Abby grinned as she caught Adrianne's eye. "Adrianne…"

"Who is Adrianne?"

Abby just grinned and turned her head in her direction.

Gibbs groaned. "You, Abigail, are as bad as Kate…"

"If you say so _Leroy_…" She knew that Gibbs could tolerate people calling him Jethro, but the name Leroy was one he'd just as soon forget.

"Touché, Abbs… Can we pick a topic other than my love life…? And names?"

"Okay, then how about Kate and Tony?"

And from there, the two of them began their plotting.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **I know- this chapter sucks. It's slow and it drags and- although I had to put it in- it's basically pointless. And i'm sorry you guys had to wait so long for it. I'll type up 10 tonight and post it probably tomorrow or sometime soon. 10's not too bad- I don't think. Thanks for sticking with me and my fic(s) for so long!

Gibbs and Abby- who had never gotten around to returning Gibbs' jacket- walked into the autopsy lab wearing identically diabolical grins. Gibbs had his arm draped loosely over her shoulder, and Ducky thought that perhaps Gibbs' infamous gut had been wrong for the first time ever. Maybe Abby hadn't been raped…? Ah well, whatever had happened at the ice cream parlour had to have been a good thing- of Ducky _was_ certain. This was the most cheerful he had seen her all day, and it amused him to no end that the one to improve her mood ended up being the one who usually put people in an even worse mood.

"What have you got for us Duck?" asked Gibbs as Abby gently shook his arm off of her shoulder.

"Ah yes… Jethro, Abby," he greeted them both with a smile. Ducky tried to keep the amusement out of his voice. "How was the- ah- ice cream?" He found himself wondering if they had even gone for ice cream… After all, you never knew with the two of them- they were the most spontaneous couple ever.

"It was fine Ducky…" replied Gibbs with a hint of warning in his voice. Abby hadn't even had the chance to open her mouth.

"Well, I believe I was asking Abby, but good. Now, as for the results of the testing." Ducky turned to Abby. "You're sure that it's okay with you if Gibbs stays?" She nodded. "Very well, would you like to see the pictures?"

Abby pulled a face. "If it's all the same to you Ducky, I'd prefer it if you'd just alert Gibbs that I _am_ okay and the extent of the damage is some minor bruising so that I can go back to my lab and do my job. No offence, but all I really want is for my life to get back to normal… Or, well, as normal as life ever gets for me."

"Well Abby, I- uh- I can't exactly do that…" he told her hesitantly.

"Of course you can Ducky, you can do _anything_!" Abby looked at him expectantly.

"Well, thank you for the vote of confidence Abby, but you know very well that I can't do _anything_. And one of the things that I can_not_ do is tell Gibbs that the only thing wrong with you is some bruising, because it simply isn't true." Ducky hated telling her that she was wrong; Abby prided herself in almost always having the right answer- whether it was good or bad. He knew how furious at herself she could get when someone proved that she was, in fact, wrong. "You have a couple of broken ribs my dear; you need to go home and get some rest." Ducky gave her a sympathetic look.

Abby snorted. "Okay, very funny- the joke's over now guys… Let me go back to work." She looked at Ducky and noticed that there was no way he was joking with her. "Oh, come on- broken ribs Ducky? I think you should check that again. There is no way that I broke anything! I mean, yeah, I guess that my chest hurts, but it's nowhere the pain that you would expect from broken ribs."

During their entire conversation, Gibbs had stayed silently in the background. If anyone had a chance at handling Abby when she was like this, it was Ducky. And Ducky had warned Gibbs that this might happen.

"Yes my dear, but how much strain have you been putting on them? Luckily, they're really not _too_ bad. As long as you don't apply any unnecessary pressure to them and you keep them taped up, you'll be back to your normal tree-climbing self in three to four weeks. Jethro, you know the drill- turn around please."

"Oh Ducky, Gibbs is fine! I trust him just as much as I trust you…" Abby rolled her eyes as she peeled her shirt off.

"As you wish… In which case Jethro, you can get me my medical tape and help me to tape her up."

"You've got it Ducky… Anything for Abbs." He turned and went to find Ducky's medical tape. He was trying his best to keep Abby in good spirits…

Abby watched him rummaging through a drawer and gave his back a sceptical look. "Anything?" She wasn't quite sure that she believed him. After all, she was no fool. She knew that, for Gibbs, work came first and everything else came second. Then again, when she thought about it, that actually wasn't too different from herself, really.

"Yes, Abby, anything. If you tell me to jump, I'm only going to have three questions for you. How high; where to; and where from?"

"Uh-huh," she muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Okay you two, that's quite enough. Abby, could you lift up both of your arms please?"

Ducky was probably the only person Gibbs would actually allow to tell him to get back on task. Well, except maybe for Abby. Of course, she was also the only one who could distract him for long enough to get off task in the first place.

Abby lifted her arms hesitantly. Ducky and Gibbs wasted no time in wrapping her torso in Ducky's tape. Gibbs had been in Abby's position numerous times before; it was uncomfortable, to say the least. Especially once you started to get pins and needles in your arms. But Abby was a much better patient than Gibbs could ever hope to be. She never once complained and always adjusted perfectly to Ducky's suggestions. The entire process took them less than twenty minutes.

"I feel like a mummy," she muttered as Gibbs slid her shirt back over her head.

"Well, if that's you're only complaint then I'd say Ducky's done his best job yet," smirked Gibbs. "Now, let's get you home, okay?"

"Gibbs, I want to stay here!" she argued, feeling like a two year old. Strangely enough, she really didn't care.

"Abigail my dear, I must insist that you go home. Jethro, you are to stay with her, at least until the morning when she can come back anyways. There are no acceptable excuses for either of you, understand?"

The both nodded.

"Good." Ducky tossed Gibbs the roll of surgical tape. "Jethro, would you redo these in the morning please?"

Abby knew that Gibbs was bound to have sided with Ducky on all of these, so she knew better than to complain as he drove her home.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Okay, I have no excuse for not posting this sooner. We-ell, other than the fact that I've been in a fluffy mood for awhile. but that's not even a good excuse, because this is sort of a fluffy chapter. Um... I had something to tell you guys, but now I can't remember what it was! Damn it... Oh well- I'm sorry for not posting sooner. I hope you like this!

The drive to Abby's house was uneventful, to say the least. Abby stared out of Gibbs' side window the entire way there. Luckily for her, Gibbs knew the way. He watched her closely out of the corner of his eye, ready to pull over at the first sign of a problem. Of course, he would die before telling her that. Abby was an independent woman and she revelled in that. It was one of the reasons he loved her so much. So for the time being, he was content to simply watch over her protectively.

"Abby," he called gently, not wanting to interrupt her thought process. It was another of the things on his ever growing list of reasons he loved her. He could sit and listen to her intellect all day long, whether he understood it or not. Still, he didn't think that Ducky would be happy if he and Abby stayed in his car all night. Something told him that that wasn't quite Ducky's intention. "Abbs, we're here."

"I know," she replied, staring out of the window at her house. It was an average two story house, she supposed. At least on the outside. And, as did many of the houses in Virginia- especially the older ones- it had more landscaping than interior design. Her well kept, though relatively small, garden was contained by a wrought iron gate and fence that showed off just how much she loved her plants. There was ivy entwined around the bars. She loved her house, and didn't think that she could ever leave it.

"So… Why are we still sitting in my car?" asked Gibbs, sure that he was missing something blatantly obvious.

Abby shrugged. "Because I'm kind of tired and right now the passenger seat of your car is making a good substitute for my bed." She settled herself more comfortably in the chair and closed her eyes.

"Okay Abbs, that's it. It's time to get out now, okay?" he decided quickly, trying not to let his utter amusement show.

She turned her head away from the sun. "Five more minutes, please?" she requested, attempting to stifle a yawn.

Gibbs sighed and jumped out of his car, rushing to her side and opening her door. He was a moment too late though, as Abby was fast asleep. She must have really been tired. "Sorry Abbs," he murmured as he gently shook her shoulder. "Come on, please wake up?" he whispered encouragingly. She stirred and opened one unfocused eye. He chuckled as she frowned at him. "Let's get you inside and to bed, okay?"

She nodded but made no attempt to get out of the car, or even sit up for that matter.

"Abbs? Are you okay?"

"I'm awake," she told him proudly.

He chuckled softly. "Yes, I know. That's good. Now how about you give me your keys, okay?"

She pulled a face but apparently convinced herself to sit up and find her purse. She retrieved it and pulled out a set of keys. Luckily for him, there were only five on the ring, and he recognized two of them as keys to her lab and filing cabinets. That left one for her lock, one for her deadbolt that she was sure to have, and one for her car. Of course, he recognized the car key instantly. So that was really only two keys. He took them for her, but she still simply sat there. He sighed, not wanting to get into a debate with Abby about the benefits of sleeping in cars or something similar. He reached over to unbuckle her seatbelt and gently lifted her into his arms.

He couldn't help but notice how light she was. He hardly noticed that she was there. Well, no, that wasn't true. He was completely aware that he was holding her in his arms, and he didn't think he'd soon forget it either.

"Okay, I guess that this means that you win then, doesn't it?" She liked feeling his arms holding her. It made her feel safe, which was an amazingly new sensation before. The last time she had felt safe had been the night before her dad left.

"It all depends on your perspective." He was reminding her of one of their previous conversations from the days when he had actually come down to see her in the lab. Those days were slowly fading, and she missed them terribly. "According to me though, yes, I win."

Satisfied and amazingly happy, she settled her head onto his shoulder. But Gibbs reached her door all too soon for either of them.

"Okay Abbs, I'm going to have to put you down now, okay?" She made a face against his shirt, but knew better than to complain outwardly. At her nod, he set her half conscious body on her front porch and steadied her before turning to unlock the door. Once it was open, he put his hand on the small of her back and guided her exhausted body inside. He could tell she was about to collapse in the entrance and he picked her up again with a small grin. "Okay Abbs, where's your bedroom?"

She pointed up and in the vague direction of her stairs. He decided not to tell her that he probably could have figured that one out all on his own. He carried her carefully up the stairs and paused on the landing. There were three doors on either side of the hallway and one door directly in front of him at the end. He decided that the one at the end would be his best bet.

He opened the door and knew instantly that this was none other than the infamous Abby's bedroom. It was painted in red and black, which alternated depending on the wall. All kinds of black shirts, skirts, pants and pyjamas were tossed carelessly on the floor. He congratulated himself for not rushing over to bag and tag them for evidence collection, even though he did have bags, labels and permanent markers in his car. No one would ever accuse him of coming to a crime scene unprepared.

"What's wrong?" mumbled Abby sleepily as he stood rooted to the spot.

Gibbs gave himself a mental shake. "Nothing, I just- Do you want to sleep in your bed or your coffin?" he quipped good-naturedly.

She opened her eyes slightly, just so that she could glare at him. "Very funny. My bed, wise guy."

He smiled and carried her over to it. He hadn't even seen the coffin, but he didn't question its existence. He pulled the large black comforter on her bed back with one hand and helped her get settled in for the rest of the day, and what would probably turn into the rest of the night. He pulled the covers back up around her body and tucked in the edges. Finishing with that, he wandered over to her window. He looked out over the wide spread of land before closing the thick black curtains. It was a very nice room, he decided with a small smile. He turned to look on his now fast-asleep lab rat and the smile widened.

He walked back over to the bed and brushed several strands of pure black hair off of her face. With a soft chuckle, he kissed her forehead gently. He would have loved nothing more than to let himself watch her sleep the entire time he was here. But something told him that she wouldn't appreciate that. "Sweet dreams Abbs," he whispered softly in her ear, letting his lips linger there just a little longer than was really necessary. He left her room and shut the door noiselessly behind him. He decided to be a good little boy and sleep on her couch. It was adorned with throw pillows and he had noticed a blanket folded across the top of it.

He lay down quietly and allowed his mind to wander into a familiar territory. It was a good thing that no one made an attempt at getting into her house, as he was completely lost in thoughts of the girl sleeping almost directly above him. Little did he know that Abby was up in her bedroom, suddenly no longer able to sleep. Or, maybe she was asleep and was simply dreaming her first pleasant dream in over a year.


End file.
